Large Cat Breeds

The American Pit Bull Terrier: From nanny dog to neighborhood nightmare

Once called "America's dog", the pit bull is not really a pit bull; that's just a nickname. The American Pit Bull Terrier, or American Staffordshire Terrier, has a long history in the United States. The United Kennel Club first recognized it as a breed in 1898. They were bred to be athletes and loyal family companions as they were once known as 'Nanny dogs' -- a breed that cohabited well with children, according to pit bull owners.

It is this athleticism that has gotten the breed into some trouble . Many pit bulls have either been trained to attack or abused so horribly that they resort to using their physical strength.

The need for a new environment

Michael Girvin, a dog trainer at the Bull Run Rescue in Easton, sees the breed a little differently.

Bull Run Rescue, which started in 2010, is a work in progress and a part time venture, but since they started last year they have rescued approximately 20-25 pit bulls and other bully breeds facing possible euthanasia. Their mission is to take dogs on death row from shelters and rehabilitate them.

Girvin goes to the shelters to evaluate the dogs looking specifically for temperament- how they react to people, strangers and other dogs. He also looks to see if they show signs of avoidance.

Recently, a Bethlehem man turned his pit bull loose on his wife and brother-in-law, and an unidentified Bethlehem police officer was forced to shoot and kill the dog, as reported by The Express-Times. It is this kind of story that people associate with the breed. It is from attacks like this that people develop a fear of aggression in pit bulls.

Jessica Lucas, Director of Bethlehem's Environmental Health Bureau says however, that there is not a breed specific problem in the area. "There is a high frequency of pit bulls (living) in the area... but this is not higher than the average amount for a city."

According to Lucas, the bureau frequently reviews their numbers, but the high population hasn't led to an increase in pit bull bites or attacks, in comparison to other cities.

For unprovoked attacks or bites The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture's Dog Law Enforcement Bureau requires residents to register their dogs on a Dangerous Dog list if they have been deemed dangerous by a court judge. The bureau's definition of a dangerous dog is "one that has attacked, inflicted severe injury to, or killed a human being or a domestic animal without provocation while off an owner's property.

Sharon's Blog: Educating the Educators

As someone who breeds and shows Maine Coon cats, I usually enjoy the opportunity to talk about my cats and enlighten fellow cat fanciers. The hard part with having Maine Coons in the northeastern part of the country is that everybody and their brother thinks they have one too. True, the breed is naturally derived and has a common ancestry with many of the large domestic long-haired cats around here. When the veterinarians tell a pet owner that their cat could be a Maine Coon, people love that. After all, vets know cat breeds right? Animal shelters often list any long-haired adoptable cat as a Maine Coon mix; not because they know, but because labeling the cat with a breed makes it more desirable. Such is the curse of having cats that don’t look as breed-distinctive as some of the others like the Sphynx or the Scottish Fold. I was recently contacted by a vocational high school principal, Suzanne Green, who was looking for someone to speak on the Maine Coon Cat. The Assabet Valley Regional Vocational Technical High School in Marlborough, Massachusetts was holding a conference for the teachers and apparently there were several requests to have a presenter on Maine Coons. The job paid $100, a little more than the cost of my gas to drive to Marlborough and back; Suzanne pointed out that this was more of public service job. Granted, I would have done it for nothing, but gas money was good. Since I do like to promote and educate, I agreed to prepare a Powerpoint presentation on color genetics and bring three cats of various ages, genders and colors. I was told the audience would consist mainly of animal science teachers, so a Punnett Square wouldn’t be too foreign to them. Getting ready, I had more than my share of technical set-backs; learning to use Powerpoint and a major malware infection on my PC, but it all came together after about ten hours of work. Although I’ve spoken to small groups about cats and have done large employee presentations in my former life as a Human Resources Manager, this was to be my first Powerpoint presentation. I went to Jay’s office and did a dry run-through for timing and to get a look at it on the big screen. Wanting to counteract the false information about my chosen breed, I started the slide show with a series of Mythbuster true or false questions.

Cat Breeds, The New Compact Study Guide and Identifier

An Identification Guide to Cat Breeds

The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Cat Breeds

The Maine Coon Cat

The complete book of cat breeding